Stop signs causing backups on Lawyers Road being removed

Stop signs that created heavy backups on Lawyers Road in Indian Trail are being removed.

Crews were out Friday removing the stop signs that were installed Thursday on Lawyers Road at Mill Grove Road.

"The signs were creating longer backups than anticipated and will be removed by the end of the day. NCDOT will continue to evaluate the intersection, which is proposed for a roundabout in 2020," the North Carolina Department of Transportation says.

WBTV had several viewers express frustration over the disruption the stop signs were causing.

A spokesperson for NCDOT says the signs were put in place to help traffic safety in the area until a roundabout is built in 2020.

According to a report from NCDOT, 17 crashes have occurred at the intersection of Lawyers Road and Mill Grove Road from Oct. 1, 2011, to Sept. 30, 2016. The report said that none of the wrecks were fatal during that time frame.

In total, the 17 wrecks at the intersection caused $66,800 in property damage, the report stated.

But drivers say the stop signs on Lawyers Road made getting through the intersection more difficult on Thursday.

One man told WBTV, "When I turned off of here in rush hour yesterday, traffic was already backed up past 485."

"It made it safer but it backed up the traffic. It took four times as long to come from McDonald's right up the road up there to get here," another man, Mark Broome, said.

"It was a nightmare yesterday. It was an absolute nightmare," said Kevin McNamee. "The volume of this traffic is so high during rush hour morning and evening that when you put a stop here for the low volume of this side road you completely destroy lawyers road."

NCDOT say they did evaluate traffic before installing the signs but didn't expect the backup to be as bad as it was.

A spokesperson says they heard about the miles-long delay from several people, including a Division Traffic engineer who was in the back-up, Highway Patrol, and several drivers.

Now that the signs are gone, how do you make driving at Lawyers Road and Mill Grove Road safer?

"A stop light would cure it all," one man said.

Another driver added "I think a traffic light will be a better option definitely"

"Either put it like it was or put a red light here, because during high-flow traffic it’s gotta flow," McNamee said.

"Roundabouts are safer, in that they reduce crashes you see at typical intersections, and they keep traffic moving at slower speeds. They are easier to maintain and more cost effective than a signalized intersection," say D-O-T workers.

State transportation officials say they'll continue to evaluate to see what they can do while waiting for the roundabout. They say options include more rumble strips and more signage.